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Discussion

Need some advice, please!

Hi, I am currently undecided between med school or CRNA. I know what both entail, but I am leaning towards CRNA. Since I am not 100% sure, I am going to finish up the prereqs I am taking now for med school: Organic Chem, General Chem, Physics, and Bio. I have 1 year to decide. If I decide to go the CRNA route, will the classes I'm taking count for my BSN? I already have a BS, but not in nursing.

Also, let's say I decided right now to go for the CRNA route. Could I take all my nursing prereqs at a community college randomly, or would I have to enroll in an Associates Nursing program? I'd rather not get an Associates since I already have a BS. But I also don't want to spend tons of $$ getting a BSN at a private school. What's the least expensive way to get a BSN?

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I'm pretty sure you can find a program that allows you to use many of your current credits towards a BSN. I already have a BA in Psych and I am going through a diploma program right now to get my RN. Once I am employed as an RN (once I make it out of nursing school!). I will go back and find a "crossover" program to take my current BA and apply what can be towards a BSN or even MSN, depending on the program I can find.

Search around for "second Degree Nursing" or "Nursing as a second career" or "Second Degrees" something like that...see what you can find.

Good luck!!!!

So why not get a BSN at a state school? Different programs have different requirements, so you'd have to check locally to be sure. What's your BS in?

If you have the grades, MCAT scores, and stamina to try med school, I'd say go for it. Have you talked to/shadowed any practicing nurses/CRNAs/doctors?

You could also check out the CRNA forum here, lots of good info there.

Good luck!

  • Expert

Many of the classes that you take for your BSN, as far as the sciences go, will not transfer over for the requirements for med school. You need to pay close attention to that. Same thing the other way around. You need to check individually with each program to see what they will and will not accept. There is no blanket ruling on this, it is up to each school to pick and choose what they will and will not accept.

My sister is an obstetrician. She has stated that if she had to do it all over again, she'd be a CRNA. Less money, although still very good money, but also less responsibility and less on-call nights (if any!)

Don't misunderstand - my sister loves her job and her patients, and she's very good at what she does. But as we all know... the grass is always greener elsewhere.

Good luck in your decision!

A friend of mine is an OB and she would not do it any other way... different strokes for different folks.

A big thing for her was that she wanted more control of the things she did and she feels that she gets that being a physician rather than a nurse. (not to mention about 500,000 other little thing$, and lots of other perks. She's on a two week trip halfway around the world right now, another perk from the hospital.) I would best describe it as working hard and playing hard.

If I were able I would go to med school. It's hard to say for you because I don't know you and I don't know what factors you are weighing. If you are considering CRNA because you'd be done sooner or spend less money on school or something like that, I would say go to med school because all those things are short term considerations that will eventually go away. I think people should always aim for the higher goal, but that's just my opinion :)

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